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How Pinterest Can Help Your Business

Since its creation in 2009, Pinterest has become one of the largest social networking sites. Known for being a new obsession for craft and cooking junkies everywhere, Pinterest has become a part of our everyday lives. The site isn’t just DIY project s and cute recipes. Using Pinterest in the right way can help you to not only connect with your audience, but to use that in order to grow your business.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is essentially a virtual pin board. Users create a profile and then begin creating boards. Within those board, you create and select “pins” to be added to the content of those boards. While that may sound simple enough, the beauty lies within the click. By clicking on a particular pin, you are taken directly to the source of that pin, or picture. For example, if you are browsing the food section of Pinterest and find a cupcake that you think is cute or looks interesting, by clicking on that picture, you are taken directly to the site where that picture was taken from, which could be a blog or other website containing the recipe for that cupcake. If you encounter a pin that you like, you can then “re-pin” that to your own food board, thus keeping it within your reach and spreading it to your followers. Pinterest doesn’t only include browsing categories that involve food and crafts. Categories include products, art, fashion, home decor, technology and many others.

How to use Pinterest for your business

As interesting as Pinterest might seem, it doesn’t immediately strike you as a marketing or business tool. This can’t be further from the truth, Because of its growing popularity, If used correctly, Pinterest can be one of the strongest marketing and PR tools available to your business. Having a Pinterest helps to present your business as one that is not only aware of the current social networking sites, but also as a company that is helpful and fun. This doesn’t mean that you should stop what your doing right now and create a company Pinterest. There has to be a method and strategy when using Pinterest for a business. You need to make sure that a majority of the things that you are pinning are relevant to your industry and would be helpful or interesting to the audience of that industry. For example, a Real Estate agent would use a Pinterest account to focus on pins involving home decor, DIY home projects, gardening, and things of that nature. You can then create boards with names like room staging ideas or tips for your home garden. Pins like this, while still containing a fun element, are also useful to the target audience who would be following your account. You may also include a board to highlight your own business and brand, but be careful on the information you decide to pin, and how frequently you do so. While you want to make sure your name and business are floating around the site, you don;t want to drive people away by constantly “selling” yourself to them through pins.

The End Result

The biggest thing that Pinterest can do for your and your business is to add to your legitimacy and credibility. You want your followers and clients to view you in a light that is both helpful and entertaining. Keeping a Pinterest that has a balance of helpful pins, that are also creative, and mixing in your business information, helps to establish you as someone who is looking to provide something to your followers. You are sending out a message that says your bottom line is to help people, not to sell something to them. Being interesting and engaging to your own followers will also lead to their recommendation of you to their followers and friends, thus expanding your network. Although this is a marketing and PR strategy, you want to remain authentic in that message. This message will only be relayed if it is the truth. It takes time and effort, but by truly providing help to your followers, clients and ultimately their business, will follow.